Bills Beat Blog

By Joe Buscaglia

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What are Brad Smith's chances with Bills now?

by Joe Buscaglia,posted Jul 27 2013 8:53AM

With the news that Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brad Smith has renegotiated his contract, that obviously increases his odds of making the 53-man roster in 2013. Just because he renegotiated his contract however, it doesn't mean safety is guaranteed just yet.

Looking at the wide receiver position, there seem to be four locks for the roster. Stevie Johnson, Robert Woods, Marquise Goodwin and T.J. Graham all are most likely going to take up the first four spots on the wideout depth chart.

Past the initial four names though, there are four names likely fighting for two spots. With as many young, enigmatic receivers as the Bills have, it's probably a safe bet that the team keeps six spots for the position.

Along with Smith, Da'Rick Rogers, Chris Hogan and Marcus Easley will be in competition for those two spots.

However, Rogers is the clear cut favorite to land one of the spots. With all off-the-field concerns considered, he has clear physical talent that the other three listed simply do not have. As long as he keeps his head on straight during training camp, he should be a good bet to make it on to the roster.

The sixth spot then comes down to Smith, Hogan and Easley. With due respect to the fans that are still holding out hope on Easley's potential, he's the hidden man of the competition at this point. Unless he really comes out and performs at a high level, he's got an uphill climb to make the roster outright.

That means it comes down to the recently renegotiated Smith, and the former Hard Knocks star Hogan. During spring practices, Hogan seemed to outperform Smith -- but that was without the physicality that a normal training camp practice would present.

Smith has a clear advantage over Hogan in part because the latter still has practice squad eligibility. As long as they can sneak him past waivers, he could become the 7th man of the receiver group but just not on the active roster.

Combine that with the renegotiated deal, it could be too much for Hogan to overcome. It certainly looks now like Smith is a favorite to make the roster, but don't book it just yet.